Hi All, a friend with a sawmill is going to cut me the oak I need for my bed ('52 F1). What grade of oak do you think I should tell him I want? Clear? Or is that asking too much? What is the norm, such as what grade do the pats catalogs provide when people order the wood package from them?
Thanks

 

Quartersawn, won't warp.

 

I like character in the wood. A few knots and old nail holes, etc, just add to the beauty.

 

White oak, not red. Clear is ok. Depends on what he has. As mentioned 1/4 sawn is better.

 

Correct on using the white oak . It is denser than red . Why do you think they use it for whisky barrels ? Cut two very very thin strips of each .So you can see light thru them .Try to suck air thru each . Red oak yes , white oak no .

 

If it were me, and I was going to actually use the truck, I wouldn't use oak at all. I would use apitong with eight coats of McClosky's Man 'O War varnish.

 

Definitely white oak, flooring grade. Mine was 6/4' planed down to 5/4".

 

Why do people like white oak so much? Must be tribal preference. Apitong has been the first choice for truck and trailer beds for decades.
FAQ - The #1 Source for APITONG Trailer Decking Hardwood Products

 

I like white oak because it is weather resistant (used a lot for steps and docks on lake properties in NY) and readily available. And looks nice. Plus I never heard of Apitong before. Thanks for sharing the info.

 

You will never see a big rig with a white oak deck. Very prone to rot. I used it a lot building wooden boats, but not where it's in contact with water. Just sayin'.

 

Are the oak logs you are cutting the boards from fully dry? If not you will need to kiln dry or stack and sticker the boards til they are fully dry. Which could take a while...

 

I used White Oak when I did my 54 back in 1968 . Cuprinol on both sides, been outside and finally started to rot 3 years ago. Lots of the farmers around NY use white oak on their hay wagons. Don't want to start any argument... but, WO is more available in NY.
Lots of species I am just learning about. Friend was going to make a fortune with Cuban Mahogany ....didn't work out.

 

Getting back to the bed, if you don't have means for milling the wood (after it's dry) maybe the local High school or vocational school can help.

 

here is some California black oak I used on my slick a few years ago the center board is 9 1/2" wide, it is local and I paid $35 for 4/4 quarter sawn had a few knots I used scrap to fill. it will rot if out in the rain but the price was right


here is the underside

 

We have had this discussion before and Mixer man is right. Our resident wood expert and ex-boat builder, GB Sisson, on Orca Island, had more suggestions: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...bed-floor.html